This Enchanting Star Park Will Let You Experience Utah Like Never Before
By Catherine Armstrong|Published March 02, 2018
×
Catherine Armstrong
Author
Writer, editor and researcher with a passion for exploring new places. Catherine loves local bookstores, independent films, and spending time with her family, including Gus the golden retriever, who is a very good boy.
Do you enjoy gazing at the starry heavens above? If so, you’re in luck! Utah has ten International Dark Sky Parks — more than any other state in the country. To receive the designation, the International Dark Sky Association must determine that the park has, “exceptional or distinguished quality of starry nights and nocturnal environment.” In other words — at these parks, you’ll basically be able to see tons of stars. While all ten are certainly worthy of long nights of star-gazing, here’s one of our favorites.
Canyonlands National Park covers 337,598 acres and is divided into four districts.
Located just south of Moab, it's a magnificent place full of natural beauty, and perfect for a weekend of exploration. One of the best ways to see this park is at night, when the skies fill with thousands of bright, twinkly stars.
Settle into one of the park's campgrounds so you'll be able to stay all night.
Canyonlands National Park has two campgrounds: Willow Flat in the Island in the Sky District, and Squaw Flat in the Needles District. Backcountry camping is also available.
Advertisement
Long before the stars come out, you'll want to capture the sunset here.
Mesa Arch, pictured here, is popular with photographers who line up before dawn to get sunrise shots through the arch. Turns out, the starry sky is just as incredible.
Mesa Arch is an easily-accessible place for photography.
You might think that this shot of the Milky Way is a once-in-a-lifetime photo, but at Canyonlands National Park, it's just another night of starry grandeur.
While the incredible night sky is breathtaking anywhere in the park, the unique rock formations at Canyonlands make the starry sky even more photogenic.
